We are absolutely delighted to share that Port Ellen Primary School has achieved the UNICEF UK Gold: Rights Respecting Schools Award.
This is a very special achievement for our whole school community and recognises the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm of our pupils, staff, families and partners. We are incredibly proud that children’s rights are not just something we learn about at Port Ellen, but something that is woven through the life and work of our school.
During our accreditation visit, the assessor spoke with pupils, staff, parents and members of the Senior Leadership Team. The final report recognised that children’s rights are “embedded across the school” and “underpin every facet of school life.” It also highlighted the confident way our pupils can talk about their rights, explain why they matter, and describe how they are relevant to their own lives and to the lives of children around the world.
The report praised the school’s clear strategic approach to embedding rights, the passionate commitment of staff and other duty bearers, and the strong focus on health, wellbeing, inclusion and positive representation. It also recognised the important role pupils play in leading change through citizenship groups, pupil voice, campaigning, fundraising and community action.
We are particularly pleased that the assessor saw how children at Port Ellen are becoming confident rights holders who understand that their views matter. Pupils spoke about taking action in school, in the village and beyond, including beach cleans, the “poo patrol” campaign, Fairtrade work, fundraising, writing to CalMac, and sharing their learning with the wider community.
This award reflects the work of many people. We would like to thank our pupils, who speak so confidently and passionately about rights; our staff team, who work hard to make rights visible and meaningful every day; our parents and carers, who support our rights-respecting ethos; and our wider community partners, who help bring this learning to life.
Achieving Gold is not the end of our journey. We will continue to build on this work by helping children explore dignity, deepen their understanding of global citizenship, and develop further opportunities to challenge injustice and take action for children’s rights locally and globally.
We are extremely proud of everyone involved. This award belongs to the whole Port Ellen Primary School community.
